LIVE FROM CTIA 13, LAS VEGAS: Mobile technology has the potential to fundamentally improve access to education in the near future, according to Michael Chasen, founder and former CEO of online education platform Blackboard.

Speaking at CTIA, Chasen said mobile technology is “fundamentally changing and disrupting both how people learn and how people connect” and could change education to the same extent it has with music, television and books.

Four trends are coming together that will make mobile technology a fundamental disruptor to education, according to Chasen, the first being that mobile technology is now a recognised channel within education. “Mobile is becoming a core piece to the education experience,” he said.

In addition, the price of education is rising rapidly — faster than inflation and even house prices, Chasen noted — meaning many people are priced out of continuing with their education at a higher level.

The third trend is that content can now be distributed on mobile devices and tablets at sufficient quality to replace paper, with many textbook providers making their content available online.

Lastly, the growing use of massive open online course environments (MOOCs) is allowing huge numbers of students to study the same course while being overseen by just a few academics — significantly lowering costs.

“You’ll be able to elevate an entire class of people that today are prohibited from pursuing their educational interests and objectives because of cost or location and you’ve totally removed those barriers. That’s how mobile is going to fundamentally disrupt the education process,” Chasen argued.